Insulating container

ABSTRACT

An insulating container having a bottom part and four side wall parts, wherein two opposite side wall parts are mounted so as to be pivotably movable about mutually parallel pivoting axes situated in a plane of the bottom part between a raised functional position and a folded position swung onto the bottom part. The other two side wall parts are each mounted so as to be pivotably movable about a swing axis on one of the side wall parts mounted on the bottom, wherein the swing axis is aligned orthogonally to the pivoting axis of the side wall part mounted on the bottom.

The invention relates to an insulating container having a bottom part and having a plurality of side wall parts, wherein at least one side wall part is mounted so as to be pivotably movable about a pivoting axis situated in a plane of the bottom part between a raised functional position and a folded position swung onto the bottom part.

An insulating container of this kind is known from DE 10 2005 058 138 A1. The insulating container is produced from a foamed plastic material and has a bottom part that has a rectangular base surface. In its four lateral edge regions, the bottom part has hinge arrangements, by means of which four side wall sections are connected in a pivotably movable manner to the bottom part. The side wall sections are mounted so as to be movable between a raised functional position and a folded position swung inward onto the bottom part. The hinge arrangements are formed by complementary hinge joint parts on the side wall parts, on the one hand, and on the respective lateral edge region of the bottom part, on the other hand, said hinge joint parts engaging in one another in the manner of bosses and being connected to one another in each case by a rod-shaped hinge pivot, which is in each case passed through the hinge joint parts coaxially with the geometrical pivoting axis.

Another insulating container composed of a thermally insulating plastic material is known from EP 1 868 918 B1. The known insulating container likewise has side wall parts which are mounted in a pivotably movable manner on a bottom part. There, the hinge arrangements are achieved by joint recesses and complementary joint heads on the side wall parts and the bottom part, these latching positively into one another and thus not requiring any additional hinge rods in order to produce the capacity for pivoting movement. The known insulating container is additionally provided with two cover parts, which are mounted in a pivotably movable manner on opposite side wall parts. The cover parts are used to close or open an interior of the insulating container in the raised functional position of the insulating container, depending on whether the cover parts are in the closed position thereof or in the open position thereof.

It is the object of the invention to provide an insulating container of the type stated at the outset which can be produced and assembled more easily than the prior art.

This object is achieved by virtue of the fact that at least one further side wall part is mounted so as to be pivotably movable about a swing axis on the at least one side wall part mounted on the bottom, wherein the swing axis is aligned at an angle to the pivoting axis of the side wall part mounted on the bottom. By virtue of the solution according to the invention, at least one side wall part in each case is mounted on a side wall part mounted in a pivotably movable manner on the bottom, thus simplifying the connection of the side wall parts to the bottom part. A plurality of side wall parts can be connected to one another first of all and then articulated on the bottom part. The insulating container according to the invention is produced from a foamed plastic material, in particular from expanded polypropylene (EPP). The insulating container according to the invention is preferably used to transport food products that have to be kept hot or cold. The insulating container is preferably dimensioned in such a way that it can be handled and carried by a single person. In an advantageous manner, the insulating container is configured in such a way in the region of its underside and in the region of its upper side that a plurality of such insulating containers can be stacked one on top of the other and stored and transported in the stacked state. The angled alignment should preferably be taken to mean an alignment at an acute angle, in particular 30° or 45°, or an orthogonal, i.e. right-angled, alignment.

In one embodiment of the invention, it is envisaged that the other two side wall parts are each mounted so as to be pivotably movable about a swing axis on one of the side wall parts mounted on the bottom, wherein the swing axis is aligned orthogonally to the respective pivoting axis of the side wall part mounted on the bottom. In this embodiment, just two opposite side wall parts are mounted movably on the bottom part, whereas the two other side wall parts are articulated directly on the side wall parts mounted on the bottom. Simplified production of the bottom part is thereby made possible. Moreover, there is a reduced assembly effort as regards the connection of the side wall parts to the bottom part and to the side wall parts mounted on the bottom. In the raised functional position of the insulating container, the swing axes by means of which the two side wall parts that are not mounted in a pivotably movable manner on the bottom part are mounted on the respective side wall parts mounted on the bottom are aligned in the vertical direction relative to the bottom part, whereas the pivoting axes of the side wall parts mounted on the bottom are situated in the plane of the bottom part and are therefore aligned in the longitudinal or in the transverse direction of the bottom part. In this context, “in the plane of the bottom part” means that the pivoting axes are each situated in a plane which is parallel to a plane that contains the bottom surface of the bottom part or that is coplanar with the bottom surface of the bottom part. Both pivoting axes of the opposite side wall parts mounted on the bottom are preferably situated in a common plane. However, it is also possible to arrange the pivoting axes of the opposite side wall parts in different, mutually parallel planes.

In another embodiment of the invention, at least one cover part is provided, which is mounted so as to be pivotably movable about a folding axis parallel to the pivoting axis on the side wall part mounted on the bottom. By means of the additional articulation of at least one cover part on the insulating container, the at least one cover part is held captive on the side wall part. Two cover parts are preferably provided, which are each mounted in a pivotably movable manner on one of the two opposite side wall parts mounted on the bottom and the base surface of which in each case corresponds at least substantially to one half of a base surface of the bottom part. The two cover parts consequently close a container interior jointly in the region of an upper side of the side wall parts. The two cover parts can be moved into the open position or into the closed position independently of one another, thus enabling the container interior to be opened or closed at the top either only by half or fully.

In another embodiment of the invention, the side wall parts are mounted in a pivotably movable manner on one another or on the bottom part by means of hinge joints and the at least one cover part is mounted in a pivotably movable manner on the side wall part by means of hinge joints. The hinge joints are either embodied in a manner similar to the hinge arrangements known from DE 10 2005 058 138 A1. Alternatively, the hinge joints are formed integrally on the bottom part or on the side wall parts or on the cover part.

In another embodiment of the invention, the hinge joints each have a hinge rod, said hinge rods extending coaxially with the respective pivoting, folding or swing axis. The hinge rods each extend continuously over a total longitudinal or transverse extent of the hinge joint of the respective side wall part, with the result that in each case a hinge joint is provided with a respective individual hinge rod. Accordingly, hinge joint sections provided on the complementary parts and engaging in one another are preferably provided with mutually coaxial passages or recesses through which the respective hinge rod can be inserted. The respective hinge rod is preferably arranged for conjoint rotation in corresponding hinge joint sections of one part, i.e. in particular, being inserted nonpositively, whereas the hinge joint sections of the other part, which are mounted so as to be pivotably movable relative thereto, are held with play on the hinge rod in order to achieve the desired capacity for pivoting movement.

In another embodiment of the invention, the hinge joints have hinge sections, which are in each case formed integrally on a side wall part, on the bottom part or on a cover part, said sections engaging in one another in a complementary manner in respective pairs to create the hinge joints. The corresponding, in each case integrally formed, hinge sections can preferably be inserted in one another or latched in one another. As soon as the respectively complementary hinge sections of the respective parts of the insulating container have been assembled in a captive way, the corresponding hinge joint, which defines the respective pivoting, folding or swing axis, is necessarily obtained.

In another embodiment of the invention, the bottom part, the side wall parts and the cover parts are produced from an insulating foamed plastic material. The bottom part, the side wall parts and the cover parts are each of one-piece design, wherein the corresponding parts each have integrally formed hinge joint sections.

In another embodiment of the invention, at least one partition wall part is provided, which is connected detachably to the bottom part. The at least one partition wall part is provided for the purpose of segmenting the container interior. In a particularly advantageous manner, the partition wall part can be connected detachably to the bottom part without tools.

In another embodiment of the invention, the bottom part has in the region of a bottom surface at least one plug-in profiling, to which the partition wall part can be connected. The at least one plug-in profiling is preferably embodied as a plug-in groove integrated into the bottom surface of the bottom part, into which an underside of the partition wall part can be inserted in a simple manner.

In another embodiment of the invention, two partition wall parts which can be assembled orthogonally with respect to one another and which can be connected detachably to the bottom part are provided. In this embodiment, the bottom surface of the bottom part preferably has two orthogonally intersecting plug-in profilings, in particular in the form of plug-in grooves, thus enabling the two partition wall parts to be inserted into the plug-in grooves of the bottom surface in already assembled alignment intersecting at right angles.

Further advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the claims and from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, which are illustrated by means of the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an insulating container according to the invention in an intermediate position between a collapsed folded position and a raised functional position,

FIG. 2 shows the insulating container according to FIG. 1 in an isometric exploded illustration,

FIG. 3 shows the insulating container according to FIGS. 1 and 2 in a raised functional position,

FIG. 4 shows the insulating container according to FIGS. 1 to 3 in the collapsed folded position,

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of an insulating container according to the invention in an intermediate position according to FIG. 1 in a perspective illustration, and

FIG. 6 shows the insulating container according to FIG. 5 in a smaller isometric exploded illustration.

An insulating container 1 according to FIGS. 1 to 4 has a plurality of parts, which are described in greater detail below and are each produced in a dimensionally stable form from a foamed plastic material. The various parts are connected to one another in articulated fashion via various hinge rods 11 to 13 in a manner described in greater detail below. The hinge rods 11 to 13 are component parts of corresponding hinge joints between the parts of the insulating container 1. The hinge rods 11 to 13 are of cylindrical design and are produced from metal or plastic. In particular, the insulating container 1 has a bottom part 2, two mutually identical side wall parts 3, 4 mounted on the bottom, and two further side wall parts 5, 6, which are likewise of identical design to one another, two cover parts 7, 8 of identical design to one another, and two partition wall parts 9, 10, which are likewise of identical design to one another. Apart from the bottom part 2, all the parts of the insulating container 1 consequently comprise pairs of identical design, as a result of which a reduced production outlay is achieved. This is because the corresponding identical parts can each be produced by means of a single mold. All the parts of the insulating container 1 are of one-piece design. Only for the connection of the various parts of the insulating container 1 to one another are the hinge rods 11 to 13 described provided in addition.

The bottom part 2 has a rectangular, preferably square, base surface. In two opposite lateral edge regions, the bottom part 2 is in each case provided with a supporting web region (not designated specifically), which extends over the entire lateral edge region and projects upward at right angles from a bottom surface of the bottom part 2. Orthogonally with respect to the two supporting web regions, the bottom part 2 forms two pivoting axes S₁, which are provided parallel to one another on the two remaining and opposite lateral edge regions of the bottom surface of the bottom part 2. Two hollow-cylindrical passages are provided coaxially with the respective pivoting axis S₁ in the supporting web regions of the bottom part 2, these passages being used for the plug-in reception of the two hinge rods 11. A total of four supporting bevels 19 is furthermore formed on the bottom part 2, directly adjacent to the respective supporting web region, said bevels being aligned at an angle of 45° to the bottom surface of the bottom part 2 and being used in a manner described in greater detail below to support the side wall parts 3, 4 supported on the bottom in the raised functional position. The supporting bevels 19 are part of hinge joints, which are used to mount the two side wall parts 3, 4 on the bottom part 2 in the region of the pivoting axes S₁. The lower longitudinal edge region of each side wall part 4 mounted on the bottom extends over a total length of the respective lateral edge region of the bottom part 2 between the opposite supporting web regions of the bottom part 2. Each side wall part 3, 4 furthermore has a spacing web 16 in the region of a transverse side which is aligned upright relative to the bottom surface of the bottom part 2 in the raised functional position, and has hinge joint sections on the opposite transverse edge region for the mounting of the other side wall part 5, 6 in each case. The spacing web 16 projects inward at right angles to the side wall part 3, 4 and has a height which corresponds to a thickness of the other side wall part 5, 6 in each case. The spacing web 16 is furthermore provided on the outside with a run-on bevel parallel to the supporting bevel 19 on the bottom. A corresponding run-on bevel is also provided on the opposite side, on the rear side of the corresponding hinge joint section, on the respective side wall part 3, 4, said bevel being embodied in a manner complementary to the respective supporting bevel 19. A capacity for pivoting movement of the respective side wall part 3, 4 mounted on the bottom relative to the bottom part 2 is thereby limited to an angle of 90°. In a folded position collapsed onto the bottom surface of the bottom part 2, the spacing web 16 is supported on the bottom surface of the bottom part 2. In the raised functional position of the two side wall parts 3, 4, the supporting bevels 19, in combination with the run-on bevels on the side wall parts 3, 4, ensure the upright and right-angled alignment relative to the bottom surface of the bottom part 2. The limitation of the pivoting angle of the side wall parts 3, 4 relative to the bottom part 2 to 90° is thereby obtained.

The two other side wall parts 5, 6 are each mounted only on one side on the respectively assigned and adjacent side wall part 3, 4 mounted on the bottom. To secure the respective hinge joint section of the side wall part 5, 6 on the two hinge joint sections of the respective side wall part 3, 4 mounted on the bottom, a respective hinge rod 13 is provided, and these rods are secured along the swing axis S₂ by corresponding passages in the hinge joint sections. The hinge joint sections are shaped in such a way that the respective side wall part 5, 6 on the associated side wall part 3, 4 mounted on the bottom is limited to a swing angle of 90°. In a folded position, the respective side wall part 5, 6 is swung around so as to be flush with the respective inner surface of the side wall part 3 mounted on the bottom. In the functional position, the side wall part 5, 6 projects at right angles toward the side from the side wall part 3, 4 mounted on the bottom and is supported toward the outside on the respective supporting web region of the bottom part 2 (see FIG. 3).

In the region of an upper side of the side wall part 4, which is in each case mounted on the bottom, a respective cover part 7, 8 is furthermore mounted so as to be pivotably movable about a respective folding axis S₃. Corresponding hinge joint sections 17 of the hinge joint which forms the respective folding axis S₃ are designed in such a way in the region of the upper side of the side wall part 3, 4 mounted on the bottom that the respective cover part 7, 8 is mounted so as to be pivotably movable through 270° relative to the associated side wall part 3, 4. A hinge rod 12 is in each case provided to secure the respective cover part 7, 8 on the hinge joint sections 17 of the respective side wall part 3, 4.

It can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the respective folding axis S₃ is offset outward relative to an outer surface of the side wall part 3, 4 in the region of the hinge joint sections 17. This gives the desired capacity for a pivoting movement of 270° of the respective cover part 7, 8 relative to the associated side wall part 3, 4.

In the raised functional position shown in FIG. 3, the two cover parts 7, 8 can accordingly be pivoted up through 270° out of the closed position illustrated into the open position thereof, in which the two cover parts extend parallel to corresponding outer surfaces of the side wall parts 3, 4 on which they are articulated. The dimensions of the respective cover part 7, 8 are embodied in such a way that the respective cover part 7, 8 does not strike an underlying surface on which the bottom part 2 is standing before reaching the 270° open position as they pivot up.

In the folded position illustrated in FIG. 4, the two cover parts 7, 8 are also pivoted up through 270° onto the outer surfaces of the side wall parts. In this collapsed folded position, the side wall parts 5, 6 have been swung around relative to corresponding inner surfaces of the side wall parts 3, 4 and consequently lie flat and flush on the bottom surface of the bottom part, below the respective side wall parts 3, 4. The side wall parts 3, 4 mounted on the bottom have been swung around inward through 90° onto the bottom surface and are supported by means of the supporting web 16, on the one hand, and by means of corresponding front faces of the hinge joint sections 18, on the other hand, on the bottom surface of the bottom part 2. To transfer the insulating container 1 from the collapsed folded position shown in FIG. 4 to the raised functional position shown in FIG. 3, the two side wall parts 3, 4 mounted on the bottom, together with the cover parts 7, 8 articulated thereon, are simply pivoted upward through 90°. The side wall parts 5, 6 articulated on the side wall parts 3, 4 mounted on the bottom can then be pivoted outward to the side through 90° until they are supported internally on the supporting web regions of the bottom part 2. The upward pivoting of the side wall parts 5, 6 preferably takes place in succession in order to avoid the two side wall parts 5, 6 colliding as they pivot upward. Finally, the two cover parts 7, 8 can be pivoted through 270° out of the open position into the closed position, thereby once more achieving the raised functional position shown in FIG. 3. In the region of the inner surfaces thereof facing into the container interior in the raised functional position, the cover parts 7, 8 have offset edge webs (not designated specifically), which are supported on the inside on corresponding upper edge regions of the side wall parts 3 to 6 and thus further improve the stability of the insulating container 1 in the raised functional position.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the bottom surface of the bottom part 2 has two plug-in grooves 14, 15 intersecting at right angles, which serve as plug-in profilings in the sense according to the invention. Two partition wall parts 9, 10, which can likewise be connected to one another by means of a plug-in joint, can be inserted into the plug-in grooves 14, 15 in crosswise alignment. For this purpose, each of the two partition wall parts 9, 10 is provided with a respective plug-in slot 16, 17, which is open toward an edge region in the vertical direction and in each case extends over half of the height of the respective partition wall part 9, 10.

The insulating container 1 a shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 corresponds substantially to the above-described insulating container 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. Functionally identical parts and sections are provided with identical reference signs with the addition of the letter a. To avoid repetition, attention is drawn in respect of insulating container 1 a to the statements made about the insulating container 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. Details of the differences of insulating container 1 a are given below.

In the case of the insulating container 1 a shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, corresponding hinge joints between cover parts 7 a, 8 a and side wall parts 3 a, 4 a and between side wall parts 5 a, 6 a and side wall parts 3 a, 4 a and between side wall parts 3 a, 4 a and the bottom part 2 a are formed integrally on the respective parts of the insulating container 1 a. For this purpose, the individual parts have mutually complementary hinge sections 24, 25, 27, 29, 21, 23. Each hinge section has integrally formed hinge pins, and the complementary hinge section has integrally formed profiled sockets, matched to the hinge pins, in the form of open plug-in or latching grooves. Mutually complementary pairs of hinge sections are hinge sections 27 and 29, hinge sections 24, 25 and hinge sections 21, 23. The respective hinge sections can be assembled in such a way as to be captive in order to avoid detachment of the respective part of the insulating container 1 a. As a supplementary measure, the individual parts are also assigned positioning stops 20, 22; 26, 28, which form limiting stops for a raised functional position of the insulating container 1 a and which can be inserted into one another. In particular, the side wall parts 3 a, 4 a have two plug-in bosses 22 in the region of the underside thereof, it being possible to insert said bosses nonpositively into complementary plug-in recesses 20 in an associated lateral edge of the bottom part 2 a, and the bosses defining a limiting stop for the side wall parts 3 a, 4 a in the pivoting direction. Moreover, each of the two side wall parts 5 a, 6 a has, opposite hinge section 27, a positioning boss 26, which interacts with a complementary positioning recess 28 on in each case one of the two side wall parts 3 a, 4 a in the raised functional position of the insulating container 1 a. The positioning bosses 26 enter the positioning recesses 28 and thus provide nonpositive and positive retention of the side wall parts 5 a, 6 a on the respective laterally adjacent side wall part 3 a, 4 a.

As hinge sections 23, the two side wall parts 3 a, 4 a have integrally formed hinge pins, which project laterally outward relative to the bottom part 2 a, coaxially with the respective pivoting axis, and which can be inserted into hinge sockets on the bottom part 2 a, which serve as complementary hinge sections 21. As hinge section 29, each side wall part 3 a, 4 a has, on a side opposite the positioning socket 28, a hinge socket into which hinge pins of the hinge section 27 of the respective side wall part 5 a, 6 a can be inserted or latched in order in each case to define a corresponding swing axis. In the region of an upper side, each, side wall part 3 a, 4 a furthermore has hinge sections 24, which are likewise provided with hinge pins that are aligned laterally outward, coaxially with a corresponding folding axis, and are likewise formed integrally. As a complementary feature to this, each cover part 7 a, 8 a is provided with hinge sections 25, which are configured as a notches provided with latching or plug-in sockets for the hinge pins. The various parts of the insulating container 1 a can be inserted into one another or latched with one another without tools to enable the mobility shown in FIG. 5 to be achieved. 

1. Insulating container having a bottom part and having a plurality of side wall parts, wherein at least one side wall part is mounted so as to be pivotably movable about a pivoting axis situated in a plane of the bottom part between a raised functional position and a folded position swung onto the bottom part, wherein at least one further side wall part is mounted so as to be pivotably movable about a swing axis on the at least one side wall part mounted on the bottom, wherein the swing axis is aligned at an angle to the pivoting axis of the side wall part mounted on the bottom.
 2. Insulating container according to claim 1, wherein four side wall parts are provided, wherein two opposite side wall parts are mounted so as to be pivotably movable about mutually parallel pivoting axes situated in a plane of the bottom part between a raised functional position and a folded position swung onto the bottom part, wherein the other two side wall parts are each mounted so as to be pivotably movable about a swing axis on one of the side wall parts mounted on the bottom, wherein the swing axis is aligned orthogonally to the respective pivoting axis of the side wall part mounted on the bottom.
 3. Insulating container according to claim 1, wherein at least one cover part is provided, which is mounted so as to be pivotably movable about a folding axis parallel to the pivoting axis on the side wall part mounted on the bottom.
 4. Insulating container according to claim 3, wherein two cover parts are provided, which are each mounted in a pivotably movable manner on one of the two opposite side wall parts mounted on the bottom and the base surface of which in each case corresponds at least substantially to one half of a base surface of the bottom part.
 5. Insulating container according to claim 1, wherein the side wall parts are mounted in a pivotably movable manner on one another or on the bottom part by means of hinge joints, and the at least one cover part is mounted in a pivotably movable manner on the side wall part by means of hinge joints.
 6. Insulating container according to claim 5, wherein the hinge joints each have a hinge rod, said hinge rods extending coaxially with the respective pivoting, folding or swing axis.
 7. Insulating container according to claim 5, wherein the hinge joints have hinge sections, which are in each case formed integrally on a side wall part, on the bottom part or on a cover part, said sections engaging in one another in a complementary manner in respective pairs to create the hinge joints.
 8. Insulating container according to claim 1, wherein the bottom part, the side wall parts and the cover parts are produced from an insulating foamed plastic material.
 9. Insulating container according to claim 1, wherein at least one partition wall part is provided, which is connected detachably to the bottom part.
 10. Insulating container according to claim 9, wherein the bottom part has in the region of a bottom surface at least one plug-in profiling, to which the partition wall part can be connected.
 11. Insulating container according to claim 10, wherein two partition wall parts which can be assembled orthogonally with respect to one another and which can be connected detachably to the bottom part are provided. 